Your guide to living in Mirdif

Mirdif has been a popular residential community since the 1990s and as Dubai has grown, so has Mirdif, mirroring the city’s development.

Years ago, work started to update the area and now it is greatly improved and it is almost full; if you look around you won’t find many empty plots left. The improvements include three main residential projects: Uptown, Shorooq and Ghoroob. Mirdif consists of gated and non-gated compounds, local villas, residential apartment buildings, and townhouses. While owners are mostly local – Emiratis and GCC nationals – the recent launch of a large freehold development will give expats more scope to buy in the area. Previously, there were limited options to buy in Uptown Mirdif on a lease of 99 years. Apart from those in Shorooq and Ghoroob, most buildings and villas have a swimming pool and a few have a gym. In Uptown, there is Fitness First with ladies-only and gents-only gyms. Shorooq and Ghoroob have car parking and plenty of children’s play areas.

Your living options

Apart from 116 units for sale in the new Mirdif Tulip development by Mushirif Park, Mirdif is a predominantly leasehold.

Getting around

Mirdif is conveniently located between Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road. Residents are just five minutes away from Dubai International Airport, ten minutes from Deira, and a short distance away from Festival City.

Best for

The area is extremely family-friendly, with many nurseries and schools (including Emirates British Nursery, Mirdif Private School, and Star International School), two large public parks, several mosques and extensive shopping facilities.

Meet the neighbourhood

Hania Hussein lives in a three-bedroom villa in Uptown Mirdif with her husband and two children.

"When our second child was born, we decided to leave Dubai Marina and go to a more family- friendly, quieter area. Mirdif is further from the beach, for example, but it’s like a small town itself - it has a lovely community feel and everything you need is close by. Mirdif City Centre mall has every shop you need and it’s a great place to meet other mums. The main advantage is the schools. Our children go to nursery and school here so we can pick them up quickly, take them to after- school activities, and all their school friends are nearby."